We fly through the clouds, getting nearer and nearer to a bright star. Peter and I keep flying, all of my friends behind me. We fly through the star and are suddenly engulfed in warmth and light. I look around and see the shores of Neverland. I laugh gleefully and Takiah catches up to me. "Hey, slowpoke!" she hollers and swoops up into the air. I laugh at my best friend. Peter turns around, his eyes glittering with laughter. "C'mon, guys! Follow MEEEEEEE" he shouts, and then dives towards the trees. "Where are we going?" I shout. "To the new hideout!" He shouts back. I laugh and dive after him, coming to a halt in the forest. He begins flying up the base of a tree, and we all follow him. Soon, we land on a porch and look at a well-concealed wooden tree house. Peter opens the door and we walk in, amazed. One wall is purely weapons, mostly stolen off of Hook's ship, and another wall of clothing for the new recruits. As soon as we're in, a beautiful Barn Owl soars through the window with a note in its beak. It lands on my shoulder and I take the envelope, which reads To Peter Pan. "Peter," I call and he flies over to me and takes the envelope, opens it, reads it, then hands it to me. This letter from his adult friends reads:
We understand that Hannah was a little annoyed by our saying that she would always be in danger, and describing her scream. But it is true. She is stubborn and fiercely loyal to her friends, so loyal that she will risk her life many times to save them. One time, she will not succeed and a close friend of hers will perish at the hands of Captain Hook. Help her when help is needed. Listen to her. She is the most loyal person that you will ever find. Peter, she will risk her life to save you. Protect her. She is valuable.
I look up and I know that whoever these people are tell the truth. I will risk my life to save my friends, because I care so much about them. "Well," Peter says "Hannah has to choose you guys' weapons, while you choose the outfits." Everyone walks over to the wall with many clothing articles on it, including me. Once we have chosen our new outfits, I walk over to the opposite wall and choose everyone's weapons. Our outfits and weapons are as follows:
Takiah: Oversized black t-shirt with ripped grey leggings; twin long, curved daggers Jordan: Brown Bermuda-length leather pants with white t-shirt and blue leather vest; long bronze sword stolen off of Hook's ship
Becca: Purple leather dress; long, sharp golden dagger with an amethyst encrusted hilt and metal sword
Connor: Brown Bermuda-length leather pants with puffy white short sleeved shirt and brown leather vest; metal sword with golden hilt and a small bronze dagger
Me: Knee-length black leather pants with long-sleeved puffy white shirt and light blue leather vest, with the Belt of the Heroes and Pixie Dust; bow and arrows, silver sword, bronze dagger with a garnet on hilt
Dominic: White Bermuda-length leather pants with a black leather vest; bow and arrows, twin swords with bronze hilts
Karlie: Green t-shirt with black long leather pants; twin daggers and bronze sword
Mekay: Purple oversized t-shirt with black leggings; bow and arrows and a silver sword
Taylor: Grey leather dress with pink ripped leggings; long, curved dagger stolen from one of Hook's men
Amanda: Long purple leather pants with oversized pink t-shirt; bow and arrows and a bronze sword with a pearl encrusted hilt stolen from Hook himself
Ryan: Brown leather knee-length pants with white t-shirt and orange vest; twin silver swords with bronze hilts
Cain: Green t-shirt with knee-length white leather pants; long golden sword stolen from Hook
Benji: White t-shirt with dark blue vest and green knee-length leather pants; silver sword with a leaf engraved on the hilt, bow and arrows
Jay: White t-shirt with green vest and dark blue knee-length leather pants; bronze sword with leaf encrusted on hilt, bow and arrows
Natbug: White oversized t-shirt with green leggings; bow and arrows and sword with an apple encrusted near the bottom of the hilt
Bryanna: White leather vest with yellow t-shirt and Bermuda-length black leather pants; long, curved golden dagger
When I finally arm myself, Peter yells "Sword fighting time!" We follow him outside, eager to learn how. "Well, most of you should pick up sword fighting real easily" Peter says. "Hannah and Dominic will go first, and who wins will battle Taylor." Dominic and I go out onto porch and begin our swordfight. Clink! go our swords as they meet in midair. I win easily. I battle everyone, winning. Jordan and Takiah were tough opponents, but I beat them in the end. Peter comes and draws his sword, beginning our battle. Our swords meet in midair, clashing against each other. We battle valiantly, but I make a false move and find the tip of his sword against my throat. He grins triumphantly and moves his blade. I roll my eyes at him and say "Hey, guys. C'mon, we gotta patrol the island now." I work out a buddy list and I read, "Okay, the buddy groups for patrol are: Bryanna and Amanda, patrolling the Home Tree; Takiah and Karlie, patrolling the Indian Grounds; Cain and Dominic, patrolling the mountains; Taylor and Mekay, patrolling the waters from the air; Benji and Jay (no goofing off, you two!), patrolling Skull Cave; Ryan and Connor, patrolling the beach; Becca and Natbug, patrolling the forests; and Me and Jordan, patrolling Mermaid Lagoon." I look up. "Questions, comments, concerns, or whines? Good." I add. Peter looks up at me and Jordan. "Be careful of the mermaids, they'll drown you if you get into the water," he warns. We both nod. "Okay, fly to your positions," I say, and everyone soars off into the sky. "C'mon, Jordan," I say and we both leap off the porch.
We reach Mermaid Lagoon, quietly landing on the rocks. There are several beautiful mermaids bathing in the sunlight, singing a quiet song to lure unsuspecting sailors to them. We begin to silently walk the perimeter of the lagoon, silently watching, waiting. After about thirty minutes, we hear Benji and Jay yelling "Hannah! Jordan! LOOK OUT!" We whip our heads around and see none other than Captain Hook and some of his infamous crew advancing on us. I draw my sword, and so does Jordan. "Hello, children," Hook says with a sneer. I growl menacingly and he chuckles. "No, no, Hannah. I do not intend to harm you and your friend Jordan, unless you disagree with me. Then I might have to gently push you into this lovely lagoon," he says in a menacing voice. Benji and Jay run over to us and draw their swords as well. "We will never join you," I say, anger making my voice shake. "Wrong answer," Hook replies with a nasty grin. He lunges at Benji and I scream, "Get AWAY form my friends!" His crew draws their weapons and I see Jordan rise in the air, maybe for help, or maybe to attack. Hook turns and faces me. "Little girl, you shall regret you ever spoke. If you can regret when you're dead," he snarls and then shoves me. I feel myself fall and I see Jordan fly off into the woods. My body hits the water and I feel cold hands around me. I look around and see the mermaids, no longer beautiful. Their faces are scaly and slimy, with a greenish tint to them. Their eyes are yellow and their nails are dirty and cracked. I struggle against them, rising to the surface and gasping for air. I see Jay and Benji fighting all of the crew at once while Hook stares at the water, watching me drown. The mermaids drag me down again, and this time I cannot stop myself. Water fills my lungs and I know that I am dying. I hear shouts coming faintly from above. Deeper, deeper I go with the mermaids. There are gray spots forming in my vision and I hear a roaring. The last thing I see is a dark figure diving into the water and the last thing I feel are the mermaids letting go, their cold, cruel touch being replaced by someone's warm, gentle touch. And then I black out.
The next thing I know, I'm coughing up water. I open my eyes and see the lagoon. There is water running down my face as I sit up, looking around me. There's Peter, who is sitting beside me, his eyes no longer laughing. There's Jay and Benji, their eyes wide and their usual smiles gone. And there's Jordan, his eyes huge. I shiver and stand up. "Jesus Christ. I'm not dead." I mutter and Benji and Jay's smiles come back. Jordan looks about normal, but Peter still looks worried. At least his eyes are normal, and he's smiling. But still worried. I try to fly, but notice that my flying ability must've washed off in the lagoon. I start to reach into my pouch, but Peter picks me up bridal-style and flies up into the air. "See you guys soon," he calls to the boys, and then we fly off into the trees.